


All Love (Begins and Ends Here)

by Higuchi_Sora



Series: Tripping On Daydreams [4]
Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Murder, Gen, Grace loves her murder children, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Pre-Canon, Runaway Kid has powers, Runaway Kid is now Seven, Six and the Runaway Kid are twins, Six doesn't eat her brother because she has manners, Six is low-key a recovering cannibal, Tags May Change, also violence because this is umbrella academy AND a horror game, basically Grace adopting sweet children, but don't worry it doesn't work out, but we stan, mentions of cannibalism because Little Nightmares is a horror game for a reason, none of this is planned so bear with me, otherwise known as Fever Dream 2: Electric Boogaloo, the Maw is part of TUA universe, who needs CPS when you have Grace Hargreeves, you'll see what I mean probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2020-06-03 08:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19460647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchi_Sora/pseuds/Higuchi_Sora
Summary: Grace missed being depended on, being a mother. None of her children have returned since they first left, not even for a visit. Even Reginald has been incredibly busy lately, to the point of her barely even seeing him past delivering his three meals a day. So when she finds two children in desperate need of help, Grace is all too happy to be a mother again.(You don't need to know either fandom to understand this story tbh, though it would most definitely help)





	1. Chapter 1

It was a dark and stormy night, rainfall so heavy that one could hardly see more than two feet ahead of them. Grace, being inhuman, didn't need to sleep, and was instead doing her final rounds through the halls of the Umbrella Academy before she returned to her charging station.

She steadily made her way to the kitchen, until she stopped at a sudden noise. She registered it as the sound of the refrigerator opening, and moved as silently and quickly as possible. Heels tended to make that difficult, but Grace was nothing if not skilled.

Even without seeing who was there, Grace knew it was an intruder. There were only two people that lived with her in the house, and neither of them had ever gone rummaging for food in this manner, let alone at such an inappropriate hour. Luckily for her, she also didn't need light to see. Grace glided into the room with inhuman poise, taking in the sight before her.

Two children, one rifling through the fridge and the other curled up in a corner of the room. They were breathing unnaturally heavily, as if they were in pain.

Grace observed them for a moment, before turning on the lights, a soft smile dancing on her lips. The boy, who'd been scouring for food, immediately jumped back in surprise. Despite the shaggy curtain of hair obscuring his eyes, he still seemed to be sending wary looks to the one on the floor, who pressed their knees closer to their chest.

"Hello," she greeted warmly. "Are you alright? You seem awfully hungry." And dirty, too, she realized, seeing how they were both covered in a fairly thick layer of grime. The children were startled by her kindness, and didn't know what to do. She approached them slowly in as nonthreatening a form as possible, but that only seemed to make them more nervous, as the boy began to look back and forth between her and his companion, whose breathing became more shallow and quick.

Grace registered it as panic, especially when they started shuddering, trying to bury deeper into their striking yellow raincoat. "What's wrong, dear? I can help you," she noticed but decided to ignore the boy shaking his head at her, as if warning her to stay away from them. Suddenly, the child in the raincoat pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. Grace's sensors immediately recognized the child wasn't simply trying to attack her, but was rather trying to gnaw at her throat. The lights flickered around them as she tore at Grace with nothing but her teeth, and it took Grace a moment to respond.

Fortunately for Grace, she wasn't human, and therefore wouldn't die from something as trivial as a shredded jugular.

The cannibalistic child appeared startled upon tasting what definitely wasn't flesh, immediately stilling then spitting out the synthetic skin. Grace lifted the bewildered child and placed them gently on the floor, wiping the remaining bits of fake skin off their face.

"Now, now, I'm not food, though I'm sure you must be hungry," she chastised. The child- who she saw upon closer inspection was a girl- remained frozen, likely put off by the unwavering kindness she was shown. "How about I make you guys something to eat?" Their stomachs rumbled in unison, and Grace took that as a confirmation. She strolled further into the kitchen and began cooking them a large, full meal. Obviously, these children were no true threat- they were just in desperate need of love and care. They were in need of a mother. The smile that adorned her face was far more genuine than it had been in a long, long time.

* * *

Six didn't know what to make of the Woman.

They'd broken into the house when the storm hit, hoping to not only take shelter but find something for them to eat. Six could feel the Hunger coming, so she and her brother hurried past the gates and into the home in the hopes of finding the kitchen.

And yet, when the Woman found them stealing, she'd smiled and greeted them like she knew them, like they hadn't broken in and tried to rob her. And then the Hunger came, and despite not wanting to hurt her, Six also knew that hurting her twin instead wasn't an option, causing her to launch herself at the Woman and tear at her flesh. At least, she thought, by choosing to go for the throat rather than the face, the Woman would pass much quicker.

Yet immediately after biting down, Six could tell that this wasn't normal flesh. In fact, it wasn't flesh at all, she'd realized, the skin pulling apart and revealing wires and metal in place of muscles and blood. She reared back in surprise, before the Woman set her down and, rather than chase them out or attack or show any form of hostility, she'd offered to make them dinner. The shock of it all was enough to quell the Hunger for just a second, before it returned in full force.

This time, her brother presented her with some raw chicken he found in the fridge. The Woman hummed as she worked, only stopping to remind them to save room for dinner as she flitted about the kitchen. Six didn't know what to make of her, but if she was going to feed them good, real food, she wasn't about to complain. She made sure to watch the Woman carefully though, analyzing all of the ingredients she put into the food. Six and Seven had come too far for them to be done in by the simple temptations of food and kindness.

* * *

Grace watched blissfully as the two ate with great fervor. None of her children had ever eaten that way, though that was largely due to Reginald demanding they all eat with perfect poise, even when they were mere toddlers, but the sight warmed her all the same. Still, both were unhealthily thin, suggesting they suffered from malnourishment. But they would get back to a healthier weight in no time under Grace's care.

It only then occurred to her that she was already planning on keeping them long-term.

It wasn't all that impossible when she thought about it though. One's first concern might immediately be that Reginald would find out with all the security cameras in his office that he obsessively checked over, but in all honesty their primary use was originally to monitor the children. Now that they were all gone, however, he rarely paid attention to them, especially so late at night. The house was also very large, meaning it actually wouldn't be too difficult to keep them out of Reginald or Pogo's sights- Reginald hardly left his office, and Pogo hardly had any reason to visit most of the rooms.

About half the house went unused on any given day, and despite that Grace still cleaned each and every room of the house- no one would suspect her for suddenly disappearing off to an unused room, and the children were quiet enough to never bother anyone. Grace might've not been able to lie to Reginald, but she wouldn't need to if he never asked.

She could do this, Grace realized. She could really do this, could really take care of children again, could really be a mother again.

It was a bit difficult to convince the children to shower, despite the muck and dirt clinging to their skin. It was likely a bit of a trust issue, but with Grace's expert coaxing skills, she managed to get them clean and removed the shackle from the boy's ankle. Their hair still fell in front of their eyes, but she decided to leave the matter of haircuts for another day.

They were given fresh, clean pajamas to wear, some hand-me-downs from her other children, and Grace scrapped their old clothes- except for the raincoat. The girl was loathed to part with it, and Grace saw no reason to take it away from her. She settled them into one of the many guest rooms, as they refused to sleep separately, then left to get some rest of her own. She had a charging port with her name on it.

* * *

Six and Seven slept in shifts, taking advantage of what was being offered but refusing to completely let their guard down. Life had been everything but kind to them, so to suddenly receive a break from the universe was far too jarring and left them suspicious. At any moment, they were expecting to have to run again.

Still, neither of them had been in an actual house for a long, long time. It was a nice change from the hellhole they used to be trapped in. If either of them ever had to so much as smell the sea or even hear a boat again, it would be far too soon.

Something about the Woman was so warm, so inviting, that it was difficult to villainize or even dislike her. Which actually made them more suspicious, since it could've been some type of magic. It didn't feel like magic, which was hazy and intoxicating and mind-numbing, but it wasn't like they'd been exposed to many other types of magic in the first place. Regardless, they planned on milking their good fortune for as much as they could before it all inevitably went wrong.

* * *

Grace knew that going to Pogo to get her skin patched up would make him suspicious, but she also knew that going to Reginald wasn't an option.

"What on earth could have done this, Grace?" He asked, examining the shredded synthetic closely. Grace gave him her usual picture-perfect smile.

"Just some wild little thing while I was making my rounds last night. It must've gotten in to escape the storm. But I wouldn't worry. It's been taken care of." Well. Grace might not be able to lie to Reginald Hargreeves, but Pogo was not Reginald Hargreeves. How grateful she was when she'd discovered half-truths as well.

Pogo hummed, likely not fully believing it, but also being unable to provide a more logical explanation than that. It wasn't like he was going to know it was the work of a cannibalistic little homeless girl, or that Grace would've kept her and her companion in an unused wing of the house. Such was the beauty of the bizarre.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like,,, i know it says it's completed,,, and how I'm not interested in writing another chapter but like,,, here i am lol  
> hypocritical? perhaps, especially since the other little nightmares crossover is gaining more attention, but i honestly don't like that one, like, AT ALL so i'm not really sure why everyone else does??? but yeah i'm not interested in writing anything for that one, and i wasn't going to write for this either but here we are, grace with her little ducklings are just too cute imo. but yeah i'm leaving it as complete since i'm not sure if i'll ever update this again.

The halls were dark and silent, the groans and creaks of the Maw sounding haunted as they echoed throughout the chambers. Everything rocked with the rhythm of the waves, making it feel as if the whole world was shifting. The slow motions only served to sicken Six, reminding her eerily of infants being rocked to sleep in their cradles.

Six steeled herself for what she was about to face, before dashing from her spot at the doorway to the stack of boxes just as the light shifted in her direction. The Eye stationed high up on the left wall beamed down at her, revealing the stone remains of the other children, those who had not succeeded in escaping the Maw. They served as macabre reminders to Six of what she was risking everything to get away from.

As soon as the Eye looked away, Six sprinted to the knocked over bed and hid behind it. Almost immediately after, the Eye roved over the bed, before its gaze went elsewhere once more. Six took the chance and stepped out of the shadows.

As if on instinct, the Eye immediately snapped over to Six, the light blinding her in its intensity. Dismay and utter disbelief washed over her. She stared down at her hands, watching as they stiffened and gradually turned to stone. No, this couldn't be the end, she'd come so far, how could she fail now? She survived this, didn't she? It wasn't supposed to be this way, how could it end now?

The light got brighter and hotter, and she grit her teeth at the pain in her eyes, knowing despite everything that this was the end, she'd end up as just another statue, another morbid trophy for the Lady to keep, oh how satisfied she'd be to know she'd finally killed Six-

"Sweetheart? Are you alright?"

Six gasped and shot up in her bed, heart pounding wildly as she searched frantically for the noise. She locked eyes with Her, and as if by magic, Six instantly began to calm down.

She was alright. She was alive, the Eye never caught her. She made it out of the Maw with Seven, and now everything was okay.

Six felt a hand squeezing hers, and looks over to see her twin. She squeezed back reassuringly, which seemed to relax him a bit. He also seemed twitchy, likely having been trapped in a nightmare of his own. She then turned back to Her, the Woman, Grace, who was staring down at her in concern. Six nodded to let her know she was fine, and Grace smiled softly.

"Would you like me to make you some hot cocoa?" Six tilted her head, unsure of what she meant. What was hot cocoa? She voiced this thought, and Grace explained that it was a warm, tasty drink that usually helps calm children down. Six didn't know how accurate such a description was, but nodded her assent regardless.

It was very late into the night, so they all had to be as quiet as possible since Pogo's room was on the first floor. They ended up drinking multiple cups, once they discovered how delicious and warm this 'hot cocoa' was, before Grace finally put her foot down and told them they had to go back to bed and rest some more. However, she promised to make them hot cocoa whenever they liked.

This time, when Six and Seven curled back under the covers, both children managed to sleep a lovely dreamless sleep, unlike any they'd had in a long, long time.

* * *

Seven was helping Grace clean the house out of sheer boredom, having run out of books that interested him. As they went from hall to hall, tidying things up, they came across a set of bedrooms.

They were from her children, he recalled, remembering the portraits displayed proudly along the walls of the main room. They were gone now, but Grace still cleaned their rooms nearly every day without fail.

It was at the sixth room that she hesitated before entering, the way she always did, even after all this time. Seven watched as she tidied the bed with a certain solemnity and tenderness that had only been there for one of the other rooms.

Seven began idly dusting the shelves, and it was then that his eyes caught the title of one of the books. He paused, before pulling the book out and examining it. He was reading the summary when Grace finished with the bed and turned to find him holding it.

When he realized that Grace was staring, he hurried to put it back, muttering a quick apology.

"It seems like an interesting book," she said suddenly. Seven blinked. "Would you like to read it?" He nodded hesitantly, and she smiled, eyes melancholy. "You can read it if you'd like. He wouldn't have wanted them to go to waste, I'm sure." Seven was uncertain, but Grace insisted that he borrowed it.

Seven wasn't sure whose room it was, but he guessed it was the one whose statue stood in the courtyard outside, the one who never had a chance to leave in the first place. He promised to take extra care of the book, and all the other books after it, once he started borrowing those too.

* * *

"Would you like me to cut it?" Six looked up at Grace, who'd been brushing her hair for a bit. She had some of Six's hair still in her hand, weighing it contemplatively. "It's getting quite long, especially your bangs. It covers your eyes completely." It's only then that it occurred to Six that Grace had never seen Six's face before. In fact, it'd been a long, long time since anyone had seen her face, obscured by her hair as it was.

There was something wrong with the Maw, Six knew, though not simply in the immediate sense of how they trapped and killed and cooked children to feed to guests who they would later also cook and kill, but in the sense that the Maw ate away at one's memories the longer they inhabited it, as well as the longer that they were away. Already, Six was forgetting the minute details, like how many Eyes were stationed above walls, or whether it was a living rat the Janitor baited her with, or a mouse.

It must've been some kind of security measure, to protect the Maw and its secrets, though she wasn't sure how useful it was considering she and her brother were the first to ever escape its grasp. Its magic worked fast and its effects were seemingly permanent, its hold on her mind still strong despite being so far away. She'd long since forgotten most of her life from before the Maw, including most of her time in the Nest. It was clear that she and Seven were lucky enough to cling to the few fading wisps that they had left.

In that same sense, she forgot why she hid herself behind her hair. She knew it wasn't just about the Maw, since it was something she'd done even in the Nest, but she couldn't recall how or why she came to pick up such a habit- her brother, too, since they'd been separated at the time.

Despite that, she hesitated to touch her bangs- it'd been so long since she'd seen her whole face, or even looked at her own reflection at all, which was already jarring now that she brushed her teeth every day in front of the mirror. The thought of seeing her own, full face, unsettled her more than it probably should've. What color were her eyes again? Did she have bags under there, and maybe some dark rings? It was only recently that she started getting a decent night's sleep, after all; what if she had permanent bags? Would her eyes be able to handle light?

And yet, she found herself nodding slowly. Things were different now, she thought resolutely. Her life wasn't constantly at stake, and she didn't need to give into the demon she called Hunger. She could do with a little more change- _good_ change.

Grace smiled softly before grabbing her hair-styling kit. Six took a deep breath, reassuring herself that this was another step in the right direction, away from the Maw, or the Nest, or any of the horrors of the past.

"Beautiful," Grace cooed softly, petting Six's hair when all was said and done. She pressed their cheeks together so they could both see her in the vanity mirror. "You look so lovely, my dear." Six couldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror, brain no longer functioning. Was that really her?

The reflection staring back at Six was of a little girl with warm, chocolate brown eyes. They were wide and round, but Six could see the shadows in it too, the knowledge of the worst the world had to offer. They were large and childlike, befitting of someone her age, but it made Six's gut churn, seeing that they, in certain angles, looked older than time itself.

Before she could go into any deeper thought, Grace gently grasped her chin, guiding her into looking at the older woman. Grace smiled.

"You have such lovely eyes, Six. They fit you so well." A corner of Six's lips quirked into a smile.

"....Thank you," she whispered, barely a rasp, and Grace responded with a hug.

* * *

The day they first said it wasn't a particularly important or noteworthy day. The weather wasn't exceptionally good or bad, and nothing very eventful occurred, save for a stray crayon nearly causing Grace to slip when entering the children's room.

She hadn't even done anything particularly different that day- no special treat, or anything of the sort. She'd simply been her usual, kind self, when it happened.

Seven was drawing- what, she wasn't entirely sure, but he was incredibly focused on it and Grace found it very endearing to see him so engrossed in his work- when he accidentally knocked his eraser off the table. Grace grabbed it and handed it to him, and it was then that he murmured it unintentionally with his rarely-used voice.

"Thank you, Mother."

Grace froze, eyes fixed on the little boy for a long moment, as if doing so would confirm what she heard. However, as Grace was a robot, it was not often for her to mishear things, especially if it was partially driven by some inner desire. Still, the truth was unmistakable.

While Seven continued drawing, unaware of the sudden shift in dynamic, a smile bloomed on her face, larger and warmer and more sincere than any she's had in a long, long time. She then said, "You're welcome, dear." With that, she dusted off her skirt and glided away. If she had a heart, it would've been soaring with happiness.

* * *

In her seven months at the Hargreeves mansion, Six had never met Reginald Hargreeves, and yet she still hated him.

It was obvious in the way that Mother's smile tightened and her movements went rigid, that she didn't like Reginald Hargreeves. Six learned, as she began to explore the house, that there were other children there before her and her brother, and that they all left. She also learned that it was all Reginald's fault, because he was cruel and terrible. A lot of things happened to be Reginald's fault, like how Mother didn't have a bed, or that the house was so big but so empty, since he'd long since driven out any children.

It kind of reminded her of before, when she was free from the Maw but not from the Nest, surrounded by phantoms of children. Pictures, statues, dolls and figurines, an ode to those who would never return. Six never knew much about the Pretender, but she likened Reginald to her, controlling and demanding and willing to do whatever it took to get their absolute way. It killed the Pretender, in the end, driven to madness by her desire to win that she pitched herself off a cliff and taking Yellow with her because she decided that she would kill Yellow if it was the last thing she ever did.

The thought of Yellow caused her to tug her raincoat closer, closing her eyes and reminding herself of the girl who risked dying to save her.

It was Yellow's before it was Six's, before she was pushed into the ocean and never seen again. They'd never spoken, and had only known each other for less than a day, but Six quickly became attached to her, and felt that she deserved better than to be simply remembered as 'the girl'. Six hoped Yellow would've liked the name she gave her.

In the same second, she wondered if Reginald had ever killed any of his children, just like the Spoiled Girl killed Yellow. Was it the boy whose portrait was hung solemnly above the fireplace, or the one whose image was immortalized in stone in the courtyard? Perhaps the girl who hadn't a single picture of herself, whose existence was nearly entirely erased save for the seventh bedroom at the end of the hallway with a diary left forgotten beneath the bed?

Six was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of clicking heels against the floor coming closer to their room. The door opened, and Six and Seven were greeted by Mother's trademark gentle smile.

"Breakfast is ready, dears," she said. Seven brought the book he'd been reading with them as they headed downstairs, pushing his hair out of his face more out of habit than anything else as he skimmed over the words. Her twin had changed a bit over the last few months. Or, she supposed, he'd returned to his original self, the way he was before their lives had gone to shit and they were stolen away and taken to the Maw. She wouldn't really know, though, since she didn't remember what they were like before.

They were concerned about eating out in the open, at first, but after a few weeks of not even a pin drop, they got used to the lack of company, despite the knowledge that there were indeed two other inhabitants of the household. Mother was very good at keeping them out of Pogo's line of sight, so for the most part they didn't even need to hide that much.

Which was good, since even if they were good at it, the twins still hated the constant fear of being discovered, the sneaking around and breathing as shallowly as possible. They did all that and more in the Maw, and they hated the reminder. The outside was a no-go too, since they still weren't used to being around lots of people that _didn't_ want to kill them, so usually they'd read and draw or sometimes help Mother clean.

Six's attention was turned to Mother when she felt her gently stroking her hair. Six didn't button up the raincoat anymore, nor did she use the hood. Mother told her she loved seeing her little face, that she looked very lovely with her hair out of her eyes, so she started wearing it down. Since then, Mother would sometimes play with Six's hair, since Seven didn't like it that much. (He'd let her anyways, but Grace always tried not to do things her children didn't like.)

Of all the things Six liked in this new place, her favorite was the lack of Hunger. It was still there, festering and clawing at her, howling for more, but being fed regularly and cared for made it subside significantly. No longer did the lights flicker as her soul scrambled for any and every source of energy it could consume. No longer did the shadows cling to her like a second skin, ensconcing her in false comfort as she dragged the life out of people's chests. Her abilities remained sentient and powerful, but the feral desperation was but a shadow of its past self. Gone were the days that she was forced to give into the siren's song, crooning and calling for Six to satiate its thirst for blood.

* * *

Seven knew something was different when Mother sent them to bed earlier than usual.

Her smile was tight and somewhat pinched when she pulled the covers over them and bid them both a good night. Upon inquiring what was wrong, she simply let out a tinkling little laugh before reassuring them that everything was going to be okay. Seven didn't usually like pressing, but he was worried, so he gripped her wrist and stared at her imploringly. After a long, silent staring match, Mother finally relented.

"Sir Reginald has been... talking to me about some things. That's all," she said, caressing his face. He tensed at her words, so she quickly added, "nothing terrible, just some plans. He's not going to be around for much longer, so he just wanted to sort some things out." Mother, with her usual gentle skill, managed to coax Seven into relaxing again. "Everything is going to be fine, my dears. Sweet dreams."

That night, Seven had a nightmare that he was thrown back into the Maw by Reginald, forced to fend off the monsters inside once more.

* * *

The next morning, Reginald Hargreeves was found dead in his bedroom. The official report stated that he'd died of heart failure, and he was immediately cremated afterwards.

What they didn't know, was that the 'heart failure' was due to poison left in his tea by Grace Hargreeves as per Reginald's own request. He disabled the medical care function of her system, knowing she'd be obligated to rescue him despite his orders to poison him in the first place. This would cause the rest of her programming to rapidly deteriorate, but considering Reginald was going to die, it wasn't something that was going to bother him much.

Of course, he didn't take into consideration the two children depending on her, seeing as he was completely unaware of their existence in the first place. That didn't say much though, as Reginald likely wouldn't have cared either way.

* * *

Elsewhere, six children received the news of their late father with varying reactions. It was clear that most of them weren't keen on returning, despite planning to do so regardless. Unbeknownst to them, this gathering of extraordinary children would be both the beginning and the end of everything.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was something wrong with Mother.

There was something wrong with Mother.

Seven could feel it, even if he didn’t want to believe it. It wasn’t anything overtly sinister, but one could not just ignore their (robotic) mother suddenly being unable to recall the date, or forgetting that Reginald was dead, or somehow becoming incapable of treating a paper cut.

Mother was doing all of this and more, like accidentally stitching her own hand to a blanket, or staring idly into space while remaining unresponsive, or suddenly forgetting where she was and what she was doing.

It had been this way since her talk with Reginald and his sudden death. Seven found the man’s signature monocle in the pocket of her skirt, so his initial guess had been that she murdered him. But if that was the case, then did that mean he tried to defend himself, and in doing so somehow damaged her?

However, that didn’t make much sense, since that would mean she’d have some level of external damage, and Seven found none. So, then, had he intentionally done something to her hardware?

Regardless of the reason, the end result was that Mother was hurt, and not matter what, they absolutely had to fix her. In the meantime, Seven decided that the monocle was simply too big of a liability- if anyone went digging into his death and found it in her possession, it wouldn’t be long until something happened. No one was allowed to take Mother. Seven took the monocle immediately, deciding to put it inside the man’s nightstand instead. He would look for the security footage later.

* * *

Pogo gasped for breath, eyes wide out of both fear and shock. In contrast, the girl choking him with her bare hands was actually quite blank-faced, save for the dark, indecipherable look in her eyes.

Behind her, there was a boy of roughly the same age, lounging on the armchair and flipping through a novel. If he didn’t know any better, Pogo would’ve thought that he wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to the situation, but the occasional glances made it clear that he was monitoring them closely.

Beside the boy was Grace, who was uncharacteristically not reacting to anything around her. She was staring blankly out the window, as unresponsive and still as when she was charging.

“Fix her,” the little girl growled lowly. Pogo gurgled, unable to speak. She loosened her hold just enough for him to manage a few words.

“I- I don’t under-” he was cut off by her grip tightening back up. Her eyes narrowed at him as she did so.

“Fix. Her.”

“O-” he let out more unintelligible noises. “Ok-okay!” He rasped. She threw him to the ground, before sitting by Grace on the couch. Pogo scrambled to retrieve his tools as quickly as possible. When he returned, both children were sitting on either side of Grace, who was still absent-mindedly gazing off into the distance.

After a tense forty minutes, which included Pogo nearly getting eaten alive when informing the two that he would have to turn Grace off (temporarily), Pogo had done the best he could with the repairs. Which, of course, was quite a lot, seeing as he was the most knowledgeable about Grace’s programming after Reginald himself.

They all waited quite tensely to see how well Pogo’s repairs went, though for admittedly different reasons.

Finally, Grace’s closed eyes fluttered open, and the smile that bloomed across her face upon seeing the faces of her children had the two throwing themselves into her arms. It startled her quite a bit, especially considering how uncomfortable they were with touching anyone that wasn’t each other, but she accepted the display of affection quite gladly.

“Hello, my dears,” she said, laughing. Six and Seven were certain that they’d never heard anything so beautiful. “You both seem awfully enthusiastic.” Their response was to burrow deeper into her sides, and if Grace was able to smile any wider, she would’ve.

Pogo cleared his throat, bringing her attention to him. “Hello, Grace,” he greeted, “I take it you know these two?”

Grace stared at him serenely. "These are my children," she said, stroking the girl's hair idly. Pogo sighed.

"Grace, they're not your children. They're trespassers, and we can't allow them to stay." He was stunned when Grace's smile wiped off her face completely.

"Yes, they _are._ " The forcefulness in her cold voice kept Pogo from saying much else, though he did stare at her mournfully. No one in the little family cared, however, and so the matter was dropped. However, he couldn't help but dread the coming funeral, and subsequent family reunion.

* * *

In Six's defense, she wouldn't have had to attack the butler if he'd just done as she asked. Instead, he spent his time on stupid, pointless questions, like 'who are you' and 'what are you doing in my house', et cetera. He also refused to fix whatever was wrong with Mother when she told him to the first time, and Six was never one to beg.

Either way, it happened, so there was no other choice but to move on. Apparently, they had a funeral to plan, and some children were due to return.

Mother insisted that they didn't have to hide when her other children returned, but Six and Seven still prepared themselves to stay quiet in their room until they left. After all, no matter what they've heard about them, the twins have never met Mother's other children, and therefore wouldn't know how they'd react.

* * *

The first ones to arrive were the ones named Diego and Klaus.

The twins ignored the odd feeling in their chests upon the arrival of what was surely Mother's favorite. She never said so, but they suspected so due to the way she said his name just a little more affectionately, and cleaned his things with a little more enthusiasm, that he was likely the closest of the children to Mother. The gifts Mother had collected over the years- from crayon drawings to fancy jewelry- were mostly from Diego, which explained how much he'd adored her.

On the other hand, Klaus was the son she'd speak of with the most concern. He wasn't Gone, not like Five or Six, but he was certainly very lost, in a way that related little to the literal sense of the word. They could hear them speaking very faintly, an entire floor separating the duos.

Every now and then, they would hear Mother's lilting voice and lovely laughter, and the deep pain would throb again, in the very depths of their chests, though neither could recall the meaning of an ache so intangible. Still, they busied themselves with reading and drawing for the time being.

The next to arrive was Allison, the one with a child of her own.

Mother told them, quite proudly, about how her daughter had a daughter now, too- quite a bit younger than the twins, seeing that they were both roughly nine or ten, but Mother still entertained the idea of the three of them meeting one day and getting along well.

Apparently Allison didn't get along with her brothers, since it wasn't long before the angered voices filtered through the hall.

The next arrival was the lumbering giant Mother called Luther. He was larger than the siblings expected, despite the fact that they couldn't see him from behind the door.

His heavy steps threatened to shake the entire house, and it reminded Six and Seven so terribly of the Guests and their thundering march into the Maw that they'd almost forgotten where they were for a moment.

It was around that time that Six felt the familiar discomfort in her stomach that forewarned her Hunger. She hadn't felt it in its true sense in a long, long time, but it was likely that it was because they were no longer as accustomed to taking in the barest minimum of food necessary to keep living.

Still, she pushed the feeling away by eating a cereal bar, knowing they'd have to wait until to sneak down for food. She could hold on, because she had to.

Finally, the last arrival, who came not long after Luther. The one whose memory Reginald was so determined to erase from the halls.

Six could feel it, deep inside, the stirring of a monster she'd left caged for nearly a year. At first, she didn't understand why it was happening right then, of all the times in the world. However, she knew the second it arrived on the same floor as Six and her brother.

A presence, large and unbridled and unmistakable, nearly as sentient as her own Hunger. Her demon raged against its cage, roaring in her ears as it desperately reached out for that presence, that _power_ , heavy and heady and almost as intoxicating as the Lady's magic, and yet wilder, untamed, muted. It almost felt unaware, of all things, unable to wake itself from whatever forced it to sleep.

Hunger desired it.

It desired to taste, to consume, to _devour_ this thing, this raw and boundless mass of energy. Six could feel the tug in her gut, almost forcing her forward, and she was distinctly reminded of the day she escaped the Maw. The way she was nearly turned delirious with the pain in her stomach and the screaming in her head, the need that forced her forward, until she was standing upon the Lady, who laid helpless on the floor, defeated and vulnerable and unmoving, and how Hunger howled and wailed for Six to taste, consume, _devour,_ the Lady.

And she did.

Six brought the Lady's face to her own, and her teeth met flesh. Instantly, she could feel the magic, the power, that always surrounded the Lady flood Six's veins, filling her with a rush unlike any other. She gorged herself on the magic, black and dark and divine as she drained life from her prey. It numbed the pain in her chest and purged the aching of her joints and the fog in her mind, and soon the Lady was a husk of herself, while Six was so much more.

And then she stepped out of the Maw, hand in hand with her brother, consuming and annihilating every last soul she crossed, until they saw the sunlight and left the razed remains of their nightmares behind.

Hunger wanted this person the way it wanted the Lady.

Shadowy wisps rolled off Six's skin, coating her like a cloak of armor. The wood of the door in front of her began to rot from Hunger's desperate bid to escape the room and latch onto its victim, that seventh child, the one standing at the end of the hall. She couldn't control the dark tendrils, the pure black rage and devastation that threatened to bubble up to the surface. Six didn't want to give in, not like this, knowing what was going to happen if she did, the aftermath she would later wake to. But she was losing control.

There was a palm on her shoulder, and if Six was dreading the turn of events before, then she definitely was now.

Seven stood in between her and the door, both hands on her shoulders. He concentrated, ignoring his sister's dim protests as he breathed deeply, reaching deep into their cores and _pulling._ The darkness sunk itself into Seven's skin, racing through his veins and turning them inky black. He tried to tamp down on the scream that threatened to escape him, but then the blackness reached his head and the pain overwhelmed him. The scream he'd fought to bury tore through his throat, and even still he refused to let go of his sister.

Distantly, he could feel the power seeping away from her, unraveling the curtain of shadows that hung around her, and he knew that he'd succeeded. There was the sound of banging against the door, muffled like his ears were clogged with water, until the wood gave in and people burst into the room.

As if on cue, Seven finally released his hold on his sister, as the remnants of her Hunger disappeared at last. His vision darkened and his body tilted forward, and at his last moment of consciousness he felt himself crash into Six.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children demand explanations that Six and Seven aren't inclined to give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sksksksk this is so BAD but it had to be put there to get to better parts of the story. I really think this one was boring and flat, though, so I'm sorry if you think so too! I just felt like I was taking too long when writing this, so I just forced myself to put out what I already had.

Six snarled when someone tried to reach for her brother for the millionth time. She clutched him tighter, cradling his head to her chest. If they tried that again, she would bite their hands off.

Soft, pale white mist rolled off his skin, the purified form of her power escaping his body and returning to her. Distantly, she could hear them talking, likely trying to coax her into letting Seven go. She didn't bother listening to a single word coming out of their mouths. It wasn't until Mother's voice joined the cacophony that Six tuned into the conversation.

"Sweetheart, I need you to let me help him. Will you do that? Will you let me help him?" _Mother,_ Six's brain registered. _Mother is safe._ When familiar hands reached out for her brother, Six finally released him, however reluctantly, into Mother's hold. She brought him to the infirmary, her youngest daughter hot on her heels.

The rest of the children followed, unwilling to allow Mother to stay in the company of strangers alone. Six continued to ignore the plethora of questions and demands thrown at her, choosing to climb the highest piece of furniture and observe from there. She wasn't accustomed to the large amount of people, nor the noise that came with them, and resorted to curling up in a spot she deemed safe, away from the floor and large people.

Seven woke with a start while Mother was still examining him. She pressed a hand to his shoulder and calmed him, encouraging him to lay back again as his sister moved to his side. Six gripped his hand tightly and searched his eyes, asking silently if he was okay. He nodded minutely, and she relaxed. Six hated allowing Seven to use that aspect of his powers, as although it was a relatively clean way to abate her Hunger, it caused her brother immense pain, and her Hunger rose far too frequently to safely use him as an alternative to consumption.

"Will someone finally explain what the hell is going on?" Six narrowed her eyes at the man. Diego was his name, she remembered. Mother loves him most, she thought, feeling that same foreign emotion from earlier at the thought that he was the one Mother held dearest.

"Honey, I need to know what happened." Mother's worried tone pushed Seven to speak up.

"I stopped the Hunger." They told Mother long ago about Six's abilities, and how Seven was, in turn, given the ability to stop her. However, they also made her aware of the immense pain and stress it puts him under, hence Six's reluctance to allow her twin to help her. There had been times, after all, in which Hunger would surface multiple times in quick succession. The strain of it had nearly killed Seven by the third time. For the fourth, Six resolved to attack a Nome instead.

"That's very dangerous, my dear. Are you sure you're feeling better?" Mother carded her fingers through Seven's hair, and he melted at the touch. He nodded somewhat listlessly, clearly still exhausted. "I see."

"Well, I don't. What the hell is going on? Mom, who are these kids?"

"Language," Mother said without any particular heat. "These are your new siblings, Diego." The strangers in the room all made varying noises of shock or disbelief.

"Yeah, why not," one of them said. Stringy hair and a skeletal frame told Six that this was Klaus, Mother's Lost One. He shrugged before grinning lazily at them. "Welcome to the family kiddos. She's Beyoncé, he's Dorito Man, that over there is Gossip Girl, then there's Broke Batman, and I'm Vodka and Disappointment." He gestured a bit wildly at his siblings, most of whom were glaring at him. "Oh, and I can't forget everyone's favorite hentai star, Bentacles. He's a little grumpy, but I'm sure if you start hearing any voices in your head, it's just him popping in to say hello."

Once she was much calmer, Six could indeed feel an odd bundle of energy hovering near Klaus. It felt vaguely human, like a disembodied consciousness, and Six didn't think she'd ever felt something like this before. Klaus must've noticed the shift in her attention, as he watched her with genuine interest now. He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Do you see him too?"

"What, are you kidding me? No. We've got enough people in this fucked up family. We don't need any more." Diego narrowed his eyes at Six, looking puffed up and annoyed.

Mother rested a delicate hand on Six's shoulder when she bristled. Whatever Diego thought he could do, she wasn't scared of. But she stood down at Mother's touch, placated marginally as Mother rubbed her back as soothingly as possible.

"Sweetheart," she began, "that's not very nice. These children needed a home, and this is a very large one. There is nothing that I cannot provide for them. They're such good children. You'll learn to like them, you'll see." She smiled brightly at the man, who looked like he wanted to protest, but he practically melted when she pat his cheek.

"Hey, if that's what you want mom, then you can do whatever, okay?" It was strange, how quickly he yielded for her, and perhaps that was what made him special to Mother. But Six could be good too, she really could. She'd been good this whole time, hadn't she? She never fought Mother like Diego did. Six was also good, right?

Because she couldn't bear not having an answer, Six's inner turmoil manifested itself by her cleaving her way in between Mother and Son so she was sandwiched within the embrace. Mother pulled back with a delightful laugh, patting her daughter on the head. Six ignored Diego's grumbling in favor of basking in Mother's affection.

"How long have they been here?" It was the large one this time. He was almost as tall as the Hanging Man, but his shoulders were more broad, like the Butler's. Six assumed this was Luther.

"Just about a year," Mother said dismissively. Luther blinked.

"Did dad know about them? Are they new recruits? Is that why they're here?" Before Mother had to answer, Diego butt in.

"Recruits? Signing up for the army now, are we, Drummer Boy?" One of the women groaned as Luther and Diego began to fight, which is when Mother shooed them all out, insisting her youngest son needed his rest.

* * *

It took some coaxing, but Grace finally managed to bring Six and Seven down for dinner. They were reluctant at first, not wanting to be around the Hargreeves', but were pleasantly surprised to see that none of them came down to have dinner with them. In fact, most of them were off killing time until the official funeral, so the twins didn't actually see most of them while they ate. The only ones they did see were Allison and Klaus, and perhaps Vanya from a distance; but she moved away quickly, which was likely for the best. It was unknown how well Six could abate her Hunger the second time around.

Allison was fairly interested in the children. Call it compensation or coping or whatever, but she felt drawn to the little kids, whose eyes were wide and skin was so pale she wasn't sure they'd ever seen the sun. Were they getting enough sleep? Were they eating enough? She knew without a doubt that Grace knew how to care for kids, but there was no telling the amount of progress that had actually been made. They were only slightly underweight, so it was possible that they'd been a lot smaller before and Grace was steadily nursing them back to health.

If that was the case, perhaps they were homeless? Runaways might not last nearly as long. Either way, Allison felt compelled to interact with them, especially after the mess with her brothers. She needed to know that they were okay.

"Hey there," she said, in as kind a voice as possible. The twins both stopped eating and watched her carefully. "I'm Allison. It's nice to meet you." She was met with silence. Still, she tried again. "What are your names?" They both turned back to their food and continued scarfing them down. Grace stepped forward and with her trademark smile.

"This is Six, and this is Seven," she gently stroked the heads of the aforementioned children. "They were so hungry when they got here, I just had to do something." Allison paused.

"Did they come with those names, mom?"

"Of course, sweetheart! Why wouldn't they?" Allison probably would've said something, but Klaus waltzed in soon after, plopping himself down right by Six and starting a one-sided conversation. She excused herself after a few minutes, wandering off to likely find Luther.

"So," Klaus said eventually, "about earlier. Did you really know that Ben was standing there?" Six's response was to tilt her head to the side, then cautiously stick out her hand to the strange mass of energy she felt still hovering by Klaus. She couldn't see or really feel anything, but she could sense it if she focused hard enough. A disembodied soul, tempting Hunger with its proximity and strength. Was this Ben?

"Huh," Klaus murmured, expression unreadable. "I guess you can, then."

* * *

Six and Seven stuck close to Mother the entire day.

Now that there wasn't any point in them hiding, they remained outside of their rooms, following their Mother around the house and helping her with her duties. At some point they cross the girl that his sister almost ate, the one with too much unbridled power. He wondered if she even knew how close she was to being consumed.

It was towards the evening that they heard strange noises coming from the bedrooms, this strange rhythmic pattern of noises that reverberated throughout the entire house. Upon asking Mother what that strange noise was, she gave them a pinched smile and told them that it was called a 'song', which was a type of 'music'.

Seven felt like he'd heard of this before. It tickled at his subconscious, something that brought up flashes of dark hallways and hushed whispers as the prison cradles rocked to the waves of the ocean.

It was only when Six fell to her knees in the middle of dusting that Seven realized something was wrong.

* * *

Six felt it before anyone else saw it.

It was perhaps the largest mass of energy she'd ever felt, in _any_ form. It almost seemed to provoke Hunger, trying to draw it out of Six and wrap it into its tumultuous void. Was this what it felt like to be Consumed?

She found her feet moving on their own, following the trail of siblings that seemed to notice the anomaly presenting itself outside. Seven grabbed her wrist before she could step out the door, making eye contact with her and resolutely shaking his head. His sister struggled with herself for a moment, before allowing herself to be led away by her brother. He sat her down and asked Mother if she would kindly make something for his sister.

* * *

The Hargreeves siblings all returned to the house, though this time lead by new person than before. Interestingly enough. he was someone they still recognized, as his face solemnly stared down at them for nearly a year.

Number Five seemed harried and irritated, muttering angrily under his breath. He left in a flash of blue before returning in a completely different outfit, swapping the oversized suit for an academy uniform. Upon noticing them, Five paused and frowned.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Apparently Mom picked up some strays," Diego explained. He still didn't seem to like them, what with how pale and wide-eyed and quiet they were (and how much they clung to Mother), but there wasn't much Six or Seven cared to do to rectify that. Five stared at them for a moment, even after being given an answer by his brother.

Five blinked. "Huh," he murmured, then shrugged and continued speaking. His siblings interrogated him for a while, but he brushed most of it off and stormed upstairs.

Nothing else happened until the funeral, in which Mother led Six and Seven outside with the rest of the children, tutting and talking about how she wished they had better clothes for the ceremony. They only had their uniforms and Six's raincoat, but neither of the twins really thought too much of it until she brought it up.

They didn't remember the last time it was that they'd gotten regular changes of clothes, so it didn't really matter to them that they were given uniforms. They were still clean and new, and that was really all that mattered to them.

They were relatively unbothered by the commotion Mother's sons were causing, until they got a bit too close to where the twins were spectating with her. When they got within close proximity, there was suddenly a strange ripple of force that propelled them away.

It only seemed like a trick of the light, but if one were to look closely, they could spot a flicker of something silvery that washed over Mother and her twins like a wall. The invisible ripples blew outwards, making the rain around them change course.

It was a big enough surprise to stop Luther and Diego in their tracks, staring at the two children in shock. They stared back blankly, until Six finally tugged on Mother's skirt and asked to go inside. Neither man had any time to interrogate them, since they immediately filtered back inside.

Seven probably shouldn't have used his powers again so soon after collapsing, but he preferred to not get run over by large aggressive men.

* * *

It was early the next morning when Luther began storming around the house, worked up about something. Six and Seven were having breakfast at the table when he came downstairs, looking for Mother.

"Grace," he called, grabbing her attention, "where's the security tapes?" Mother laughed kindly.

"Right where it's always been, dear," she told him, "in his security room." Luther huffed in slight frustration.

"No, mom. I need the tapes from the past month and a half. I want to look over them. Where are they? They weren't there." Mother blinked, surprised.

"Well, if it's not there, then I don't know, sweetheart. I'm sorry." She gave him a tentative smile, as if worried about his reaction. Luther sighed.

"It's fine. Do you at least know where Pogo is? I want to see if he knows." Mother's smile widened and she told him where to find their butler. He left without much fanfare, without so much as thinking about the two small children at the table that most definitely knew more than they dared let on.

And if it never occurred to anyone to ask the little boy with every reason to destroy those tapes? Well, no one would be any the wiser.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mother's most loyal ducklings (plus Klaus) go on a field trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not sure what this is about anymore lmao, take my plotless trash as an early (pathetic) Christmas present  
> they're literally just shopping, that's it that's the chapter

The wind howled over the plains, blowing up a sandstorm that threatened to asphyxiate anyone in its path. The sun's unforgiving rays beat harshly down on the desolate lands, egging on the flames already licking at the ruins scattered everywhere. There was smoke and ash as far as the eye could see, smothering the atmosphere and wrestling the oxygen from it.

He could barely breathe, trying to inhale only to release it in a coughing fit. The land was empty for miles, his only company the sound of the wagon wheeling weakly behind him, and his sister's stumbling footsteps to his left. He pulled the scarf further up to cover his face and pushed on.

Suddenly, the footsteps ceased, and Seven turned to find his sister collapsed on the ground, form crumpled a few feet away. She was unresponsive upon being shaken, body slack and far too hot to be healthy. Panic gripped Seven's heart. Not knowing what else to do, he slung her arm over his shoulders and dragged her for what felt like hours. Eventually, in the distance, he spotted the crumbling ruins of some old structure. He pushed past the exhaustion in his bones, hoping to reach solace sooner.

His heart dropped when he noticed that he wasn't getting any closer to the rubble, no matter how long or fast he walked. Six groaned under her breath, her head lolling to the side. She was red all over from the sun burn, and it was getting harder and harder to carry her. Seven ran, body feeding on his pure desperation. The building was suddenly getting farther and farther, until it was barely a speck in the distance.

He collapsed, tripping over his own two feet, and it was as if his body simply gave up. He could no longer find the energy to so much as twitch. His limbs were going numb, and in the back of his mind he wondered if maybe he was fated to die like this, baking in the sun, flesh burning as his vision started swimming. He failed, Seven realized, as he stared at the unconscious form of his twin. He failed, and now they were going to burn and die, and perhaps he would cry if he had enough water in his body left.

Perhaps he would feel sad, if his mind wasn't already going fuzzy. But it was too late, and soon the spots in his vision grew too large. He gave into the darkness and ceased to see.

* * *

Seven awoke with a start.

It took a minute to remember where he was. After a while, he managed to get his breathing under control. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and it was only when his sister stirred beside him that he forced himself to lay back down and curl up against her. He could barely recall what he dreamed about, but knew that it had something to do with Before.

The image of an unforgiving sun beating down on him was carved into the back of his mind, and he shuddered, burrowing deeper into the blankets. It'd been quite a while since he last suffered a nightmare of this scale. Despite the room being a moderate temperature, his shirt was soaked from his sweat. He grabbed his sister's hand. Of the very little he could still grasp from the fleeting nightmare, he knew Six was somewhere in there, and that she was much less than okay. The warm hand, long since recovered from malnutrition and now sporting a healthy, childish level of chub, served as his anchor, reminding him that those days, however horrific, were long gone.

He fell back asleep to the sound of his twin's soft, steady breathing.

* * *

The next morning, the twins (however reluctantly) went downstairs for breakfast.

The only person there besides Mother was Luther, who looked quite ruffled, though Klaus joined them halfway through the meal. Luther was preoccupied with finding a certain monocle, which Klaus seemed less than enthusiastic about. The skinny man opted to turn his attention to the twins, eventually moving to the topic of apparel.

"Y'know, daddy dearest is dead, so you really don't have to wear those anymore." He gestured to their uniforms with his spoon. They blinked at him in unison, which he found terribly creepy, but Mother saved them from having to verbalize a response.

"They're perfectly good clothes, dear. And besides, this is all we have." Her voice was as gentle and lilting as ever, but there was something careful about the way she formed the words. It served as a somewhat bitter reminder that she, being nothing more than an advanced Rumba to Reginald, was never permitted to leave the grounds.

And, seeing as she wasn't a human, she hadn't any money or access to such to even pay for anything. Pogo was given access to Reginald's funds and management of his possessions in the will, which was how he was still able to feed himself after Reginald's death, but he wasn't even remotely keen on the twins- to be fair, they did indeed threaten his life, though neither of them regretted it in the slightest.

Klaus hummed contemplatively, before gasping. "We should go shopping! Dad's dead, Mom, you shouldn't have to live by his _dumb rules_ when he can't bother you anymore." He put heavy emphasis on 'dumb rules', causing Luther to growl under his breath and storm out of the kitchen, uninterested in fighting his much smaller brother. This appeared to be the desired response, as Klaus flashed them a particularly toothy grin at Luther's departure.

"We can take Dad's card from Pogo! How about it, hm? A nice little shopping trip with my pint-sized siblings? A little bonding time with big brother Klaus?" Mother hummed contemplatively.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Mother finally said. "What do you think, dears? Would you like to go shopping?" The twins looked at each other, communicating silently in a way that they felt almost more comfortable with than actual words. Eventually, Six looked up at Mother and shrugged, and Mother smiled back. "Alright, then. We can go this afternoon." Klaus' eyes widened, as if he didn't actually expect her to agree, before clapping his hands excitedly.

"Perfect!" He cackled. "I'll go force Diego to drive us!" He sprinted upstairs, looking for his leather-clad sibling and leaving the twins to finish their breakfast.

* * *

Shopping was... interesting, to say the least.

For one, it was the first time Six and Seven left the academy grounds since they first got there. It was also the first time they saw the city during the daytime, which was a completely different experience than seeing it at night. They felt rather exposed in the broad daylight, as usually they opted to travel in the dark to avoid as many people as possible.

It was admittedly overwhelming, seeing so many people in one concentrated area. Despite it being a city with a healthy nightlife, it was nothing compared to the daytime, which had almost double the amount of people walking the streets. The twins shrunk in on themselves in an effort to become even smaller and create more space between them and others. Unfortunately, this didn't help them much, especially since whatever space they gave up was quickly swallowed up by others nearby. 

They resorted to clinging to Mother, who seemed quite brilliantly out of place beside the worn buildings. Mother didn't seem too bothered by it at all, still wearing her trademark pleasant smile as she strolled down the sidewalk, appearing to move unhindered by the deathly grip her youngest children kept on her skirt. Slightly ahead of them were Klaus and Diego, with the grumpier brother taking the lead. Klaus continued chatting absent-mindedly to both his living companions and the space beside him. Diego would occasionally glance back in mild irritation at his brother, and sometimes his gaze would wander to his mother with a mixed expression.

On one hand, he was all too glad to take her outside. He was skeptical at first, but once Klaus explained that Grace was choosing to step outside on her own free will, he was completely willing to drive her, frankly, anywhere she wanted. She was finally free from Reginald's grasp, and Diego believed that it was only natural that she should be able to do as she pleased. If there was one thing that rat bastard did right, it was making Grace. And dying, too, he supposed, since it finally gave her the full autonomy she deserved.

On the other, he still didn't trust those kids. It was one hell of an introduction they had, with that live exorcism and the like. Diego still wasn't sure what the actual fuck happened back there, just that he wanted none of it near his mom. It wasn't that he thought those kids were necessarily evil (though he wasn't _not_ saying it, either), but that didn't stop bad things from happening. The highway to hell is, after all, paved with good intentions.

He forced himself out of his musings once they made it to the shop. They had to park a bit far, seeing as nearly every parking spot by the curb is almost always taken in any city, but thankfully it wasn't too long of a walk. The door chimed as they entered, and the cashier glanced up at them briefly before going back to their phone. They'd have picked a mall, but it didn't take a genius to notice the kids' apprehension when handling anyone that wasn't Grace, and their intense aversion to physical contact. It wouldn't be a safe idea to take them to such a large public area, lest they get overwhelmed and have a breakdown of some sort.

Grace spoke softly and encouragingly as she led the kids to a section with their estimated size, pulling out clothes and asking them if they liked them. They didn't bother looking at price, having stolen Reginald's card. It was the least the asshole could do. (It's unsurprising that he was more useful to them in death than he ever was in life.)

It took a while, but with Klaus' loud enthusiastic input and Grace's sweet encouragement, the twins managed to find a few outfits they'd liked well enough. Unsurprisingly, most of it consisted of long sleeves and anything that covered as much of them as possible, but they were _normal clothes,_ which in itself was already a big step in the right direction. 

Six tended to gravitate towards anything that was yellow, while Seven seemed to favor blue, but their tastes were otherwise generally the same. They liked soft, warm things, like knit sweaters and sweats, though they were definitely intrigued by the leggings. They didn't seem to know what those were.

Ultimately, they ended up adding them to the pile, once Grace tried to find pants that fit them and realized they were still just a tiny bit too small for them. Still, she added a pair of jeans each, the smallest they made for their age range, insisting that they would use them as a goal to work up to.

In the end, they left the store with bags full of all manner of soft sweaters, sweatpants, leggings, and cardigans. The clothes were mostly for colder weather, which was a bit of an issue seeing as it was March, but it was unanimously decided that they would buy things for summer when the twins actually began going out at all. Grace did manage to grab some undershirts and even a nice little dress for Six, but it definitely wasn't enough for an entire season.

They'd almost forgotten to get them shoes, which was rather ironic, considering that was something that they actually didn't have. In fact, the twins were barefoot at that very moment, seeing as the smallest pair of shoes they could find were Luther's when he was their age, meaning they weren't nearly small enough. Most of the other shoes were already thrown out, so the two kids were actually wearing nothing but a pair of loose socks. Or, Seven was, in order to hide the scarred skin that the shackle left behind. His sister, on the other hand, opted to remain entirely barefoot.

Still, they headed to the nearest shoe store and things were much the same as in the clothing shop; Six and Seven gravitated towards anything comfortable and warm, like moccasins and boots. Klaus convinced them to get a pair of slippers each, and after his and Grace's combined efforts, they managed to get the reluctant children into some sneakers. The consolation prize for agreeing to the shoes was another pair of fuzzy warm socks.

* * *

After the admittedly tiring shopping spree, they all piled into the car and drove back home, though Klaus insisted they stop for ice cream along the way. Diego would protest, seeing as he was the one driving them everywhere, but Grace seemed intrigued, and really, it wasn't like he was going to pay for the gas money now that they had Reginald's credit card. They'd likely get an inquiry from the bank later, but seeing as everything was legally Pogo's at this point, they were in the clear.

So, they stopped for ice cream, and Diego waited as Klaus rattled off his own order, taking forever as he rambled about the different toppings he wanted. It only occurred to them, once it was the twins' turns, that they definitely had no idea what ice cream was.

It made a deep sort of pang in his chest at the thought, despite still being uneasy about them. Even Reginald gave them ice cream sometimes, however rare. And it wasn't like he didn't notice the scar on the boy's ankle when he went to put on socks.

He wasn't an expert on scars, but the size and shape of it was uncomfortably similar to a thick, tight shackle. It was the kind of scar that one got when their skin was deprived of oxygen for a long, long time. It was certainly healing, and Diego had no doubt that it had looked much worse when they first arrived, but the skin had a long way to go before it made a complete recovery- if ever.

Eventually, Diego got tired of the awkward silence as the twins stared at the menu, and asked the employee to bring them sample sizes of almost every flavor. When it arrived, he shoved the tray at them and some spoons.

"Figure it out," he grunted, then turned his attention to his own cone.

The kids were quite hesitant, being unable to recognize what this was. He watched as they stared at the little samples, then at each other, before Six took the first step and took the tiniest bit of chocolate ice cream onto her spoon. Seven watched closely as his sister cautiously lifted it to her mouth and stuck her tongue out. There was a tense moment of silence, before she was suddenly shoving the entire sample cup in her face.

Klaus choked on his own ice cream at the sight, watching as Seven frantically gripped Six's shoulders. She stuck the spoon in her brother's mouth, and he froze as his mind processed the sweet flavor. Two seconds later, and the twins were fighting over the sample cups on the table, eager for more.

Grace watched on contently as her youngest two battled over the sweet treats, and Klaus laughed as he scarfed down the rest of his cone. When they finally made it back home, the kids' hands and faces were sticky with drying ice cream. Allison raised an eyebrow as she watched the group return.

"I see you guys have been busy," she said, though there wasn't any actual heat in her words. Klaus grinned.

"We went on a shopping spree, and got a little carried away."

"I can tell." She snorted, fighting the smile creeping onto her face. "Well, I'm glad you guys had fun."

* * *

Six stared at the dress Mother held out to her. It was a pale yellow, something that she knew Mother picked out on purpose because of how attached Six was to her raincoat. It took Mother a while to convince Six to wear it though, since despite its simple design it was still rather fancy, in Six's opinion.

It had little frills around the collar and the top layer was this flowery lace-type fabric which was very pretty, but Six felt hesitant to try it. She doesn't remember why, which is certainly a testament to how aggressively the Maw stripped her of her memories, but she knew that, for whatever reason, she'd abstained from wearing anything that looked particularly nice, even when desperately scrounging for clothes.

Perhaps it had something to do with the Spoiled Girl. Perhaps it was something even before that. But the fact remained that anything one might consider 'excessive' made her recoil, made her skin almost break out into hives, as if her body itself refused to allow her to indulge in even the smallest, most insignificant of ways.

But Mother seemed to really want her to try on at least this one, so she pushed away the skin-crawling sensation as best she could and wore it. Mother was quite happy, and for that Six believed it was worth it, getting to see Mother clap her hands and smile so widely and tell her how lovely she thought Six looked.

She ended up changing into her other new clothes, though; a soft knit sweater that was also yellow but otherwise quite plain, those fuzzy warm socks, and those grey pants that Klaus told her were called "sweatpants". They were also very nice, but they hadn't any frills or accents or anything of that nature so it eased Six's inexplicable discomfort, if only just a little bit.

* * *

Seven knew that Six didn't remember, but _he_ certainly did.

He remembered the Nowhere, if only a little. The Basin, the Dead Lands. The scorching heat, the dry winds, the whirling sandstorms. He remembered the piles of rotting corpses scattered in ruins and on funeral pyres and half-buried in the sand. The wildfires, the dried-out wells, the vast, rolling lands of nothing but pure desolation.

He couldn't recall _everything,_ on account of the Maw, but it was certainly a lot more than his sister did. The Nest was as far as her memories took her, and to be honest, Seven was grateful beyond belief for it- and, of course, insanely jealous. There was little he wouldn't give to not remember. Maybe then, he could sleep just that little bit better.

(Somewhere deep down, though, he doubts that that's possible.)

He also knew that she forgot how they'd been separated. Seven had never been to the Nest before, though he'd learned from others of its existence. And he was grateful for that, too, since he knew he already had enough nightmares about that time. He couldn't recall _how_ they'd been split up. Just the cold, empty feeling that he'd had in his gut when he'd curl up in the shade alone at night, staring into the vast nothingness that was once, long ago, alight with stars.

The jubilance that overcame him at their reunion in the Maw- as horrific a place as it was, it'd been the home of the only remotely positive memory that he could clearly remember. Whatever wisps of happiness he'd once felt had long since fled from his memories, his mind numbed by the very essence of the ship of nightmares; the gentle, hypnotic rocking of the waves; the dull consistent tempo of the Guests marching into the Maw; the Lady's alluring song that echoed hauntingly through the halls.

But one thing that he'd never, ever forget, one thing that he _wished_ he'd forgotten, was the Glow.

He wasn't certain why, or how, or exactly _what_ had occurred, but the Glowing light, the rumbling of the earth beneath his feet as everything was set ablaze; the fear in Six's eyes as they desperately clung to each other as the very world around them came crashing down; _that_ was something he'd remember for the rest of his life, no matter how long the waves and the marching and the humming ate away at his mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A home invasion, a bear, and memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short but I figured you guys would be bored in quarantine like I am, and at least this way I'm not procrastinating on uploading this lmao. If i waited to make this longer it would've taken me months because my school is kind of going to shit (we were in the middle of gearing up for finals and completing end-of-the-year projects when we closed down, and my school never really had to do online shit before so now everyone is confused and shit's hectic) and I probably wouldn't have gotten back to it until I got back to school. There's really nothing in this but I'm hoping to use this chapter as a segue into the actual plot. So, yeah, happy quarantine lol.

The twins were getting ready for bed when they heard gunshots coming from downstairs. They froze, then looked at each other in alarm, and bolted from the room without a second to spare. They ran right past Klaus, who'd just come out of the bathroom and was dancing to whatever he was listening to with his headphones. He was startled by their sudden approach, and pulled off his headphones to inquire something. What, they would never know, because immediately afterwards another round of gunshots destroyed the peaceful night ambience.

Klaus jumped, then scurried into his room, presumably to dress himself. The twins sprinted down the hall, searching for Mother, who they found still charging at her port. Just as they moved to grab her, when out of nowhere two masked assailants appeared and shot at them. A silvery shield appeared just in time for the bullets to ricochet right off, and Seven snatched Mother's wrist without further delay.

The intruders let out an impressive string of curses as they dodged the wild bullets, but hadn't enough time to regroup when Six's Hunger finally boiled over.

Seven was already dragging Mother away from the chaos as the lights began to flicker around them. Some of Mother's older children had apparently followed the assailants upstairs, since they were standing at the top of the stairwell, watching with shocked expressions. Seven pushed right past them, still leading Mother to safety.

Behind them, the shadows wailed and reached out for the masked duo, and Hunger roared in rage as they tried to escape. Unfortunately for the criminals, Six, for perhaps the first time ever, was unwilling to restrain the Hunger. For once, she was in perfect harmony with it, as she unleashed the demon on them.

She felt it, the unbridled desire to consume surging back to the surface for the meal it had been waiting for, the siren's song now a vicious, gleeful cackle as it feasted on their souls. The sacrifices hadn't any time to so much as scream as Six raised her arms and embraced the destruction, draining their lives and leaving them still.

Just as quickly as it had started, it was over. The lights stopped flickering, the shadows receded, and Six took a deep breath as she reigned in the unyielding Hunger. Silence weighed over the house like a blanket, and she finally stepped away from the hollow husks to come face to face with Mother's other children.

They were stood stock-still, unable to so much as make a sound or even blink. Six didn't linger long enough to watch them snap out of it, uninterested in their coming fear and disgust. She shoved past them in the direction her brother went, intent on reuniting with Mother. She would be unable to sleep without her assistance tonight.

The Hargreeves', who were still unable to completely compute the latest event, still had enough sense to back out of the way at Six's approach. Still, their gazes remained on the corpses she'd left behind for at least a few more seconds before they'd collectively snapped out of it. By that point, Six had already found Seven and Mother, who was idly brushing her son's hair with a comb. She smiled upon seeing her youngest daughter enter the room.

"Hello, dear," she greeted, "it's awfully late for you and your brother to be up. You both need to go back to bed and get some rest. Wouldn't want you to be tired in the morning." Six didn't say anything, opting instead to curl up at Mother's side. The woman laughed, a small, gentle sound, and pet her daughter's hair lovingly. "I can accompany you, if you'd like."

That seemed to be a reasonable enough bargain to the twins, who each took one of Mother's hands and allowed her to lead them back upstairs. Just as they did, they were met with Mother's other children. It looked as if they were in an argument, but the second they saw Mother and the twins, Vanya huffed and stormed off, leaving the house, while Diego turned his attention to them.

He looked ready to tear Six's hand off of Grace, when Allison spoke over him before he could get any words out. "Are you sending them to bed?"

"Yes, it's far too late for growing children to be up. They need their rest." Grace sent her daughter a winning smile. "You two should sleep, too. It's very important to a healthy mind to get a full night's rest." Diego scoffed.

"Forget sleep, what the hell was that? She fucking sucked the life out of those guys-"

"Diego, language." Grace warned. Diego looked ready to argue back, but immediately deflated.

"Sorry, Mom. But-"

"I'm sure what you have to say is very important, but I'm sure it can wait until the morning. You all need your full night's rest, alright, dear?" Allison seemed to be holding back laughter as she watched Diego pull an expression akin to eating an entire lemon.

"Yeah, Mom. Goodnight."

Grace's smile was back in full force. "Goodnight, Diego. Sweet dreams, you two." With that, she glided up the stairs and into the twins' room to tuck them into bed.

Once both children were thoroughly tucked, she briefly pet their heads and bid them goodnight. However, just as she turned to leave, Grace's motion systems recognized the feeling of a hand gripping her skirt. She turned back around to find Six holding on with a death grip. Both her and her brother were staring up at their Mother with wide brown eyes. Grace smiled again, just a fraction of a percent more genuine than it usually is.

"What is it, children?" She asked. They remained silent, and Six tugged at the skirt once more. It took Grace a second to understand, having never been allowed to remain at her children's bedsides before. "Would you like me to stay?" They nodded in unison, and if Grace had been human, she would've felt warm at the sight. "Then I'll stay until you two fall asleep. Would you like a lullaby?"

Before long, Grace was sitting beside the bed, humming a soft, gentle lullaby for the siblings. They, despite still being quite anxious, were eventually lulled into the embrace of sleep. Grace lingered for just a moment longer than necessary, watching their little chests rise and fall at a slow, steady pace, before finally forcing herself to return to her charge port.

* * *

The next morning, the twins were down for breakfast when finally confronted by someone. Luckily for them, it was the least concerned person in the world. This, of course, being Klaus, who was mostly curious rather than scared or otherwise mistrustful.

"So, I heard you sucked the life out of those guys last night. Literally!" Klaus huffed out a laugh. "So, is that, like, normal for you, or-?" He yelped when Allison slapped his shoulder.

"Way to be subtle, Klaus." She snapped, causing her brother to stick his tongue out at her rather petulantly. The twins continued shoveling pancakes into their mouths, not even remotely interested in divulging any amount of information.

Diego, meanwhile, was forced to deal with the dilemma of disposing of the bodies from the night before. He might get into his fair share of trouble with the law, but he's never had to dump a corpse before, so this was entirely new territory for him. There weren't many places to leave a corpse without eyewitnesses in a city as big as theirs, but it wasn't as if he could just leave them to rot in the middle of the hallway.

Instead, he'd shoved them into the back of one of Reginald's cars (he wasn't about to put his own ass on the line for something like this), and took a ride out of the city. He managed to find a lake to dump the woman into, after stuffing her pockets with rocks, but he couldn't lift the man, so he opted instead to leave him in the back of the car and set the whole thing on fire.

This, while getting rid of the evidence, made it so that he was unable to drive home. Which was a problem, seeing as it was four a.m. and he didn't have cell service to call an Uber.

God, the fucking things he did for this fucking family.

He'd finally got enough service right before his phone died to call for an Uber after walking for about an hour, and was finally home just in time to see the twins putting their breakfast dishes into the sink.

The only reason he didn't try to kick them out was because he was fairly certain one of them would suck his soul out, but that didn't make him any less angry about the situation. He was already skeptical of them before, but knowing that these two were constantly hovering around his mom and that at least one of them had the ability to kill without touching you? Yeah, no fucking thanks.

But the sharp look Allison gave him was enough to make him scoff and storm away with nothing more than an apple to eat. That woman needed to get her overcompensating maternal issues under control.

* * *

While Mother's other children were out doing whatever they pleased, her youngest remained by her side throughout the day. This included assisting her in her daily duties. Normally, this would only encompass her indoor tasks, but as it was now spring, she was once again in charge of managing the land as well.

The property mostly consisted of plain, evenly-cut grass, but the backyard occasionally had these delightful little flowers that would bloom just far enough to be out of Reginald's view through the window. It was no surprise, then, that Grace would sometimes purposefully neglect to rid the fields of those bright beauties, if only to add just a little more joy to her children's lives. Ben, specifically, used to hide near the little flowers when he was feeling too overwhelmed, and had frequented that space once Five ran away from home.

Being the end of March, the flowers were starting to bloom again. However, without Reginald, there was no need to cut any of them down, so Grace instead had taken the liberty to tend to and encourage the flora to grow. It could be the family garden, a lovely little place for her children to visit again. Wouldn't that be nice?

Needless to say, the twins followed her out to the flowers with the intentions of helping Mother to the best of their abilities. Despite going shopping for mostly long-sleeved or otherwise very warm attire, they still had a few spring-season items that they could wear- namely, undershirts and thin pants. They opted to go barefoot, and set out with Mother to go garden.

Six and Seven learned that they quite liked gardening. It was peaceful, and quiet, and the flowers were absolutely beautiful. It was almost enough to completely ease the discomfort that resulted from being outside. It made Six feel better, knowing that she was able to give and nurture life just as well as she could snuff it out, and it calmed Seven to be able to see proof of the world's beauty, still thriving and unmarred by the darkness. This was not the Maw. This was not the Nest, or the Deadlands, or the Basin. Here, the sun still shined. Kindly, not mercilessly. Here, the water was clear and fresh and clean. Not murky and filthy and home to the flesh-eating woman of the Basement. Here, he and Six were safe and cared for and never going to starve again.

"You're both so good at this." Mother praised. The children preened, in the silent, mostly expressionless way that they did. "Would you like to garden more often?" They nodded in unison, and she let out a tiny laugh, quite endeared. "We should get you two your very own equipment then. Wouldn't that be nice? An apron to keep you from getting dirty, some gloves and shears and spades. You'd both look very lovely."

About an hour or so later, they finally wrapped up their gardening and returned inside. The rest of the day remained quite peaceful, with most of the oldest children out and about (besides Luther, who had been doing his level best to be as suspicious about them and Mother as possible all day) and the butler avoiding them as usual. In hindsight, it might've been the calm before the storm, of sorts.

When the twins returned to their room, they froze upon entering the door. Sitting on their shared bed was a pair of matching stuffed bears. They were fuzzy and soft-looking and absolutely adorable, and suddenly Seven couldn't breathe.

He was bombarded with images of ashes, ashes, ashes everywhere, covering the ground, blanketing the sky, filling his lungs as he choked and struggled and fought for air. He was stumbling, knees weak and vision swimming; and once he fell, strength leaving his bones and nerves losing their feeling, he saw in the distance a blurry, pale thing. Perhaps once a bright, sweet color, but now nothing more than white-grey and crumbling. The beady black bear-eyes stared back at him, empty, like most stuffed toys, and yet they almost burned him, as if they were real, as if they were accusing him. _How could you? How could you? How could you?_

_You let this happen to us._

Suddenly, there were hands on his shoulders, gripping him tight as a voice steadily got louder, clearer, and before long he could almost recognize it.

"Breathe, sweetie. Focus on my voice. Breathe in... out. In... out. You're doing perfectly, dear. Just keep going. In... out. Yes, like that." Before long, Seven was reeled back into reality by Mother, who was rubbing his back gently. The black spots of his vision started fading, and eventually his breathing evened out, and his heartbeat slowed to a more regular pace. He was still trembling, though, just a bit, unable to shake the images out of his mind, even as he burrowed further into Mother for comfort.

She cooed softly as he did so, still rubbing his back. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" Seven hesitated, before finally nodding. He was better, now. Far better than he'd ever been, which probably didn't say much, considering his past. "That's good." Mother said. "You gave your sister quite the fright." Seven glanced up, and sure enough, Six was hovering nearby, fingers twitching in that way that they always did when she was nervous. "She screamed because she didn't want to leave you alone. Almost scared the life out of Allison and Luther." She then pulled Six into their hug, the girl immediately melting into the embrace and worming her arms around her two favorite people.

Meanwhile, Seven was unable to get past the fact that Six had apparently screamed loud enough to attract Mother, who must've been almost on the complete opposite side of the house at the time. And Mother had come running fast enough to be here before Seven passed out.

If he didn't, he would be forced to acknowledge something he _didn't_ want to think about, hence the focus he maintained on the other things. He absolutely under no circumstances wanted to consider what those visions- those _flashbacks_ could possibly mean, where they could possibly be from. Because doing so would open an entirely new can of worms that Seven wasn't sure he could handle.

But, as it were, Seven knew better than to believe that this would be the end of it. It never was, not with him. He could never be quite so fortunate. Judging by the look Six was giving him, it appeared that she knew it too.

* * *

Apparently, those matching stuffed bears were a present from Allison, who might've been feeling a little down that she was unable to so much as see her daughter these past few months.

Seven didn't tell her that the Bear caused his break-down. He was avoiding the thought all-together, especially about the flashback-that-must-not-be-mentioned. He hadn't even told Six anything, as it was clear that she didn't have a flashback like he did, which only meant one thing; that memory was of Before. Before the Maw, or the twins' split in which he wandered; back to a time that Six herself could no longer recall. It seemed that, despite all odds, Seven was beginning to Remember.

Seven did _not_ want to Remember.

But, like many things in his life, it didn't seem as if he had a choice. Seven was going to remember, and it probably wouldn't be long before he started remembering more- perhaps, he might eventually remember everything.

Seven didn't know what that might do to him, didn't _want_ to know. It might just destroy him, and that... that wasn't something he was ready for, not anymore. But, for now, he supposed the next best thing he could do would be to enjoy the ignorance for as long as humanly possible.

He should take the bear downstairs tomorrow, he thought. To show Allison that he appreciated the bear. At least one of them deserved to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry its so short and empty. I hope you guys enjoyed it, for what it's worth. But let me know what you think! All comments are amazing, but speculative comments are some of my favorites :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm probably gonna write more, but I also might not. We'll see. Depends on how much time I have and how many people like this. I think one of the best things about Little Nightmares is that everything is so vague and mysterious that you don't even have to know what the hell the game is in order to read fanfiction, because let's be real no one in the Little Nightmares fandom knows either. Anyways, let me know what you think of this word vomit please!


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